Scars of Smallpox: What They Look Like and Why
I vividly remember as a child seeing a distinct scar on my mother’s arm. It sits high, close to her shoulder, and looks like a ring of small indentations in her skin around a larger indentation.
Don’t ask me why that specific detail caught my attention all those years ago; I no longer remember. I only recall that it was there, but as is often the case, I gradually forgot about its existence in the years that followed.
Well, I haven’t actually forgotten that it existed (it’s still in the same place as always), but I did forget that I was once fascinated by its origin. Maybe I asked my mother about it at some point, and she explained. But if she did, I’ve also forgotten that.
That was until a few years ago in the summer when I helped an elderly woman off a train, and I happened to notice the same scar in the same place as my mother’s.
My interest was piqued, but as the train was about to thunder on towards my destination, I couldn’t really ask her about the origin of her scar.
Instead, I called my mother, and she revealed that she had told me more than once – my brain apparently didn’t deem the answer important enough to remember – and that her scar had been caused by the famous smallpox vaccine.
Smallpox is a viral, contagious disease that once terrorized humanity. It caused a significant skin rash and fever, and during the most rampant outbreaks in the 20th century, it killed an estimated 3 out of 10 victims, leaving many others disfigured.
Thanks to the successful widespread use of the smallpox vaccine, the virus was declared “eradicated” in the United States in 1952. By 1972, smallpox vaccinations were no longer part of routine immunizations.
However, up until the early 1970s, all children were vaccinated against smallpox, leaving behind a distinct trace. Think of it as the very first vaccination passport, if you will: a scar that told everyone you had been successfully vaccinated against smallpox.
And yes, you guessed it, it’s precisely that scar my mother bears (just like nearly everyone else in her age group).
Why Did the Smallpox Vaccine Cause Scars?
The smallpox vaccine caused scarring due to the body’s healing process. The vaccine itself was administered differently from many vaccines given today, using a special bifurcated needle.
The person administering the vaccine made multiple punctures in the skin (rather than just one puncture as with modern vaccines) to introduce the vaccine into the dermis (the layer beneath the epidermis) of the skin.
The virus in the vaccine then went to work, multiplying and causing round bumps. These bumps then developed into vesicles (small, fluid-filled blisters), which eventually burst and scabbed over time.
The result is the infamous scar we have been discussing in this article.
Are you old enough to have a smallpox vaccine scar? Let us know in the comments!
